Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 June 26

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June 26

Bullheads

Where in Connecticut can I buy live bullhead catfish for my pond? -anon

There's a list of hatcherys here http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/fishing/general_information/hatcherylist.pdf

Alternatively you could try asking around local live fish shops, as they should know wheer to get fish.87.102.86.73 (talk) 12:33, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Living on a Magical Pill

Suppose there exists a time-release pill with 100% of the nutrients and vitamins that the body needs that would otherwise be regularly derived from meals. Could a person survive just by eating one of these pills a day? If so, will one still feel hungry? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 04:28, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

With no caloric content? No. For that matter, "suppose there exists" can almost certainly be replaced by "suppose I go purchase at the health store". It might be 6 pills instead of 1, but I'm certain it's presently achievable. — Lomn 04:43, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

What if it did have sufficient caloric content? Would the body still suffer from hunger pangs? Acceptable (talk) 04:50, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

You'd also need sufficient fiber, and the calories would need to be distributed between carbs, protein, and fats. When you add all that up (and your daily water requirements), they wouldn't be a few little pills any more, they'd be many huge pills. StuRat (talk) 05:22, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Again, assuming that it's not a matter of getting the stuff out of the pills, and they can cram it all into one pill somehow, then yes. Your body would think it's going hungry for a while, and would run counter-measures (using up body fat, etc.), but it would probably adjust. If I understand it correctly, you body determines a lot of its 'hunger feeling' from portion sizes, i.e. how much you eat, rather than from the nutrition content. But your body adjusts to how much it's used to getting. If you eat half as much as you usually do, your body will complain for a while, but after a week or two, it won't have a problem. Steewi (talk) 06:20, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

All the vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and fiber you need can be obtained from pills; 4-5 types of pills might suffice. However, many vitamins cannot be metabolized without lipids (fat), so you'd have to consume some of that. In addition, you need to consume all the basic amino acids, normally obtained through protein-rich food (meat, eggs, etc.). Your body has no particular need for carbohydrates (bread, sugar, pasta, etc.), however, which make up the bulk of most Western diets. One more thing your body might need is the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are found in the retinas and cannot be synthesized by the body.

Keep in mind, your body needs around 2000 calories of energy a day in addition to whatever essential nutrients you ingest. That works out to at least 500 grams of protein, 250 grams of fat, or 143 grams of alcohol.Paul Davidson (talk) 08:28, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps the case of someone being fed intravenously answers your question. My understanding is that they do get hungry, but nothing too serious. You yourself were fed intravenously for nine months, after all! --Sean 14:41, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi. Err, I don't really think it's a good idea to substitute any one of those three for all your daily caloric needs, especially alcohol. Remember, however, that many people in richer countries consume 3000 - 4000 calories a day, and some in third world countries consume less than 1000. Besides, unless it's nessecary for survival, wouldn't it get boring after a while due to not being able to taste or smell food, and what about your daily water needs? Thanks. ~AH1^(TCU) 17:39, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Good day. I had heard about some scientist who are saying that vitamins actually might not help with increasing your life.(I don't have any sources for this...but I heard about it.) So your "hypothetical" magical pill might not actually help with our lives. Also to much of anything good can still be bad...even magic can be bad. So you have to count those factors as well. Well I hope I wasn't to confusing and I hope I have helped. Have a positively wonderful day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 21:10, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

If you want to extend your life by changing eating habits, eating a bunch of vitamins probably wont do all that much. If you really want to extend your life, calorie restriction is probably your best bet. Caveat: life might be long, but it will be no fun. 217.213.153.218 (talk) 14:37, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

urgent: how to scare mice from under a corner bookshelf??

Hi, folks, Anybody has any thoughts about how to make a mouse (not a pet! yuck) leave from under a bookshelf?? We tried noise & water. SOS!Knyazhna (talk) 04:58, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

How about the "tried-and-true" solution? A cat? (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 05:01, 26 June 2008 (UTC))

Pets are not easy to get on short notice. Plus it's kind of wasteful to adopt a cat for that purpose and then send it back. Pacific Coast Highway ^{{talk • contribs}} 05:21, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Moving the bookshelf is the obvious solution. Of course, the mouse will just run and hide somewhere else. There's poison and glue traps to kill the mouse, but they are both exceedingly cruel. I have to concur with the cat solution. Borrow one from a friend. It will either kill the mouse or scare it so badly it will leave the house and never come back. StuRat (talk) 05:20, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Though anyone who has seen a cat toy with a mouse would wonder whether that is a less "cruel" option. Rockpocket

Yes, thank you on the cat thing. But a) we're scared of cats (or pretty much animal in close proximity) anyway; b) can't think of any friend I have that has a cat; c) doesn't solve the whole "if I leave this room, the mouse will go SOMEWHERE where I don't know where it is and that scares the living daylights out of me" problem.

We actually did end up taking everything out of the top shelf (it was a one bookshelf standing on top of another, all filled with heavy canned goods & grains in jars - we use it for pantry). We removed the top shelf and tipped the bottom one (carefully holding the doors closed; we really didn't want to unload the bottom shelf unless absolutely necessary). It took several tippings essentially to 45 degrees until the mouse ran out of there and thankfully ran toward & out the door (we barricaded most of other exits). Whew! Now of course, the question is whether it was a random mouse out of the yard or garage OR a part of a huge nest of mice somewhere close or in the house. SCARY! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Knyazhna (talk • contribs) 05:36, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Under a bookcase, you say. Did it by any chance steal a cookbook? Clarityfiend (talk) 06:12, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

As for item c, you wouldn't have to worry about losing the mouse if you had a cat in the house. The cat would watch that bookcase until the mouse left, then chase it and watch it's new hiding place. Ever hear the expression "he's like a cat with a mouse" ? That means he never gives up, just like a cat on the trail of a mouse. StuRat (talk) 06:22, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Of course the mouse is going to take over the house, consume or contaminate all the food and chew through your ankles while you sleep. And after the cat has torn all the mice to pieces, it will start on you – not really. Are you letting your fears take over your life? Mean as it sounds, I once used ratsack an anticoagulant I think, only because they outnumbered the household 10 to 1, temporarily. If nothing else works, you could write a kid's book about them – look what it did for William Steig. Best of, Julia Rossi (talk) 09:13, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

I congratulate you, Julia, on having no irrational fears. Oh, you do? Don't cast stones then. (And oh yeah, beside the irrational fear, mice are actually dangerous: "Mice can be harmful pests, damaging and eating crops and spreading diseases through their parasites and feces. In western North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse feces has been linked to the deadly hantavirus." (Wiki) Knyazhna (talk) 20:42, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

If you don't like glue traps, someone has built a better mousetrap that will kill instantly. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 09:25, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Humane traps, and of course a watched pot never boils. Is the bookcase easy to move?87.102.86.73 (talk) 12:28, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

What kind of traps are you talking about? The kind I use are not cruel in any way, they just trap the mouse inside an enclosure and I leave them far away (across the highway generally so it doesn't come back). 125.21.243.66 (talk) 13:26, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

That's the sort I meant - though don't be like me and forget to check the trap regularily - as the mice can starve to death inside... Sorry mice-angels..87.102.86.73 (talk) 13:48, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Give it a cookie. That way it will want some milk too... :-)Ilikefood (talk) 01:53, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

Perfect. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:06, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

need information about ashwood university USA

need information about ashwood university USA? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.123.21.222 (talk) 07:33, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at Ashwood University and follow the links from there. And note in particular the points made by many people that this is not a serious academic institution. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:43, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

how many?

wot is the most musical instroments some1 can play in one go? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pipedpickled (talk • contribs) 14:23, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Indefinitely extensible. Six at once is the most I've found a reliable reference for that have been played together, but when you consider that mechanical linkages and the like are driving some of those, it's clear that the upper limit is dictated by where the performer wants to stop. — Lomn 14:32, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Bert (Dick Van Dyke) gives a pretty good existence proof of being able to play quite a few instruments more-or-less simultaneously. Meanwhile, on the Tubular Bells album, Mike Oldfield gives a pretty good proof of how many instruments one can play (one at a time) using multitrack recording.

Atlant (talk) 14:52, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

• reports Atlant to WP:Heinous Vandalism for suggesting that Tubular Bells is a good example of anything* Meanwhile, if you accept that handbells are instruments, then you could presumably manufacture a claim for playing hundreds at a time ... and it would still sound better than Mike Oldfield. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:56, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Tagish: Conventionally, handbells are considered to be "one musical instrument that takes 14 people to play". But, that opinion may be held only by ringers :-). (Would you count a piano as 88 little instruments?) --Danh, 67.40.167.124 (talk) 01:38, 27 June 2008 (UTC).

I'm finding myself getting exorcised about your musical opinons. ;-)

Atlant (talk) 15:05, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

The article one man band may be informative. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 14:58, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

ants

Answer this: the ant article says "They are polygynous, and can have up to one hundred queens per nest. [3] They are also polydomous, with many nest sites per individual colony.[1] These queens will have gathered together after their nuptial flight and will have formed a nest and laid their eggs in it." Does this only mean the quenns get form a nest together when they fly or can they nest accept new queens of same species laters, like in susequent flights but than nest not because it already formed? Spinage (talk) 14:29, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

The question is a little confused. I think it's asking "In a polygynous ant colony with many queens, do all the queens originate from the same nuptial flight, or do queens from subsequent flights sometimes become part of the colony?" While I can't speak for all species of ant, Formica rufa and other wood ants often allow new queens from subsequent flights into their nests, but usually only if they have similar pheromones and are originally from the same super colony. JessicaN10248 19:11, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Copyright attribution on Wikipedia

I noticed on Wikipedia images (even the copyrighted ones) don't attribute the copyright on the page they are displayed. Rather, you have to actually click on the image to view any copyright information. How is this allowed? --217.227.87.251 (talk) 15:30, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

The Reference Desk is not the best forum for this question, nor can we give legal advice. Essentially the same question has been raised elsewhere:

• Talk:Creative_Commons_licenses#Issues_with_attribution
• Wikipedia_talk:Featured_picture_candidates#Issues_with_attribution

but I'm not sure it's a fully resolved issue. -- Coneslayer (talk) 15:34, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

This is not "legal advice". --74.223.170.240 (talk) 01:14, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

It does not seem to be a much different model from a paper book which might list the copyright credits for all images in the book in a single section at the front or back. Is there actually a problem here? --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:03, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

There is no requirement that the copyright notice be stamped right on the image. It just has to be easily available in a logical location. Clicking on the image has been determined by those on high to be fine. But it's an interpretation (of the GFDL, in particular). There are requirements under some of the "free licenses" about where you can refer to copyright information—that's the only relevant stuff on it, about how to use aggregated/collected works. (Fair use does not make such a requirement at all—we do so on here in order to be both helpful, ethical, and internally consistent, not because there is a legal requirement.) --74.223.170.240 (talk) 01:13, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Where is the gas tank on my 66 VW Bus?

I'm restoring a VW bus right now and I've come to a standstill. I need to take out the gas tank on my 66 bus before I can do anything else, but unfortunately I cannot locate it. (or my Haynes tech manual for it.)I looked inside of the engine compartment and noticed that there was a tube connecting to the gas cap that seemed to move forward.

I hope that I was clear enough, and thank you. Mack. 70.248.124.25 (talk) 18:39, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

This page gives you a clue - there's a compartment behind a firewall ... you cannot get to it with the engine in situ. Another site [1] says "in front of the engine behind a fire wall panel". --Tagishsimon (talk) 19:06, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Looking for old Billboard 200 charts

I'm looking for a site that has preferably complete Billboard 200 charts from weeks and years past. As far as I know, Billboard.com only offers half the current chart for free. Is there a reputable site which has older Billboard 200 charts available for free? Preferably going very far back, like the 1970's to present. Thanks. 70.105.164.43 (talk) 19:27, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Also, is there a site which has older box-office movie charts? Once again, around 1970's to present if possible (or before, if available). Thanks. 70.105.164.43 (talk) 19:31, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

On the Billboard charts, I don't think you're going to find that information anywhere for free online. It's Billboard's property and they're gonna want to charge you for it; see [2] for example. Or you could go through old music magazines, or maybe Billboard publishes books that list the old charts. But as for getting them for free, forget it. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:50, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

I Dub Thee Druid

Good day. I am writing a story about a war against wizards(there are witches as well) and druids. I made wizards have material magic meaning they can heal wounds, control minds, illusions, mysticism,etc. While druids are elemental magic controllers were they can create barriers from water, earth, wind,and fire, they can control those elements to attack(one guy has a tree sword),etc. But my questions is, are druids magical beings? Do druids control magic? Do druids have magic? Btw, I did read the druid article before I asked this question, but I am still a little confused. Thank you for answering my question, I really appreciate it. Have a positively wonderful day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 21:17, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

It's your story; can't your druids be whatever you want them to be? The article mentions that they were believed to have magic powers. Whether they really did or not isn't something that an encyclopedia can give a reliable answer on. Friday (talk) 21:28, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

(after ec)Your Druids are mystical if you make them mystical. Even though it's incredibly one-sided, it might help if you read Druid and Druid abilities at the World of Warcraft wiki. Also try Druid (disambiguation) and Category:Druids and note that Merlin's in that category. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 21:31, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

As Nigel Tufnel put it mysteriously (and eloquently): "In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people: The Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing ... " ---Sluzzelin talk 21:48, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Since you're writing a fantasy novel, you wnat mysticism ideas, rather than WP's facts. This google book on Druid Magic might give you some ideas. Also look at this Druidry Community discussion on magic. Of course, you can adapt these ideas as much as you want. Have fun. Gwinva (talk) 22:10, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

It seems perfectly reasonable to have druids as 'elemental magic controllers', and many fantasy works do the same, - typically though I would expect a druid to be associated with earth or water elements..

In a historical sense - I don't really know the extent to which druids were magicians at all.. and as others have pointed out - nobody else seems to either.

As a potential link for you - the closest character I can think of in literature that fits with my idea of a druid would be Radagast (middle earth).87.102.86.73 (talk) 23:14, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

It sounds like you might get some use out of the religious/spiritual aspect of Druidism. If wizards control magic (or have it inherently), they use it impersonally and as a force. Druids, on the other hand, might access it through mystical or religious means, by supplication to a spiritual force (often a god, or nature itself) and they act as a channel for the magic, rather than controlling it. Steewi (talk) 01:05, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

I have nothing to contribute here, except to say that it feels very odd that this discussion mentions that the questioner has read druid which is about real live historical priest-like individuals, and then goes on to ask a question about magical fantasy characters like you might find in a D&D game. APL (talk) 01:40, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Good evening. My wizards inherit magical ability from birth. Druids have to gain their powers by being offered to the stars. Or at least in my story. Also my wizards don't use staffs or wands they abilities just come out from whatever they are controlling. They are a force. While druids are the calm. @APL: Well I'm sorry I hadn't realized that they had an article of RPG druids. I would think in the historical druid article they would touch the idea like a thing that says in fantasy or something like that. Thank you everyone for the help and the little links. I really appreciate it. Have a positively wonderful evening.Rem Nightfall (talk) 02:49, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

tax disc colllector- appropriate terminology please!

My other half and I were watching a comedy/news related programme the other day. We heard the proper and recognized term for tax disc collectors beginning with "velo". Unfortunately we can't remember the rest of it. Please, please, please can you furnish us with the remainder of the word. Yours in anticipation, Helen ( and Dave!) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.152.136.98 (talk) 22:07, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Velology. They even have a magazine: The Velologist: "a fascinating monthly A5 magazine that focuses exclusively on expired tax disc collecting".–Gwinva (talk) 22:16, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like a very generous definition of the word fascinating. —Angr 22:59, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Indeed. But feeling it deserved its own article (rather than a red link on the -logy page) I've started one. If anyone can bear the excitement, feel free to flesh it out. Gwinva (talk) 23:31, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

In case anybody's wondering, Helen and Dave were watching the UK current affairs comedy quiz show Have I Got News For You. A magazine on velology was the guest publication.Hawkisgirl (talk) 22:51, 30 June 2008 (UTC)